Forbidden With Me - Leigh Lennon Page 0,39
his warning. “Wells, you’re attached. You’re so attached to this girl you can’t think straight.”
“Are you saying I’m not impartial by this?”
He simply nods. “I wouldn’t be if it were Nic or Jules in danger. I get it. She’s been more to you for some time. I don’t think you’re ready to admit this, but at the same time, you need to know many of us see it. Besides me, my dad just mentioned today he could tell your feelings were building for her. But my point, if we all see it, others like Vanessa will certainly see it.”
“I care for her because of the girl she was to me so long ago. This little girl still needs to be protected as she was then. That’s all we are.”
His smirk crawls over his face. “Oh, is that all? You want to protect this girl? I feel much better now.” In his sarcasm, it’s my turn to flip the man off. “In all seriousness, this could turn really bad, really quick.” He picks up his can, to take a long swig.
“Why do you think I want her near me?” With my question, he spits out his drink.
“Would you really like me to answer you?” Matt croaks out.
“I meant, asshole, that I can protect her better. I’ll have a uniform with her during the day, and she can stay at my house at night. That way, the son of a bitch wants to come after her, I’ll be there to stop him,” I insist, my words are as convincing as I can make them.
“Again, thanks so much for being impartial here,” he jests and laughs at himself, as I don’t. No reason to encourage the man. “Also, this gives Smith Turner’s lawyer grounds to ask for the charges to be dropped. I’m still not sure what evidence they have against him, but you’ll be able to figure it out when Malia meets with Vanessa and the DA for formal questioning. She’s not waiting anymore. Oh, and of course, the bitch told me to tell you.”
“I’m not surprised, especially with another family….” I don’t finish the sentence. We all know what I’d say, another family is dead because we couldn’t catch him that night of the murders—it was me who didn’t catch him.
“Don’t do that to yourself, Wells. No one could have caught him.”
It was nice of Matt to try to get me to accept it wasn’t my fault. But now when I fall asleep, it will be to the image of two dead families and not just one.
Matt clasps me on the shoulder. “Okay, buddy, call me if you need me, I’m going home to Nic.” I move to the living room, and I won’t reposition Malia since she’s so comfortable. One look at the chair in the corner, and I know this will be my bed for the night. If Malia’s out here, this will be where I’m at, too.
“Maybe you should hold off on starting college until this is put behind you?” Vanessa’s screechy voice startles Malia when her tone comes out louder than she’d been expecting.
“Well, it’s just that…” She trails off, the challenge in my captain’s eyes to contest the almighty words of Vanessa Shay.
“It’s just what?” I urge Malia to finish her sentence.
She’s rubbing the top of her forehead with three fingers. “Miss,” Vanessa’s boss begins, “we understand you deserve to live your life.”
“This is so overwhelming. An entire family died, what, to prove a point to me?”
Vanessa stands, her hands pressed down on her desk. “And that is why you should take this semester off. This person never messed with you back in Oregon. Maybe you should go home.”
“But I can’t go home. I honestly don’t have anywhere to go. I could live with Georgia, my best friend, but I won’t because what if this psychopath comes after them? Don’t you understand? I have nothing. My aunt died, and the whole estate went to pay for her hospital bills. My parents' estate paid for private care for me since the state wouldn’t pay. There’s nothing left but a small trust for some real-estate my aunt still owns.”
I want to murder Vanessa because now, Malia is crying. She’s fucking made her cry. What is wrong with her? No one can see when my hand connects with her knee under the desk. Well, except maybe Higgie, who’s behind us.
“Captain, is this necessary?” I begin, talking through clenched teeth.
She purses her lips together. When we were a couple, it